What is the ruling of the Shari'ah regarding cheating in exams among students?
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The questioner : The last questioner raised some of his questions in a previous episode, and this question remains for him. He asks: What is the ruling of the Shari'ah, in your view, O honorable Shaykh, regarding cheating in exams among students? Is cheating in the English subject forbidden? And does this fall under his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) Sunan Ibn Majah 2225Da'if (Darussalam)?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. Cheating is forbidden, indeed it is among the major sins, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1315Sahih (Darussalam). This phrase is general and includes everything that qualifies as cheating in any type of transaction or work. Cheating in exams falls under this generality, so it is not permissible for a student to cheat in an exam, neither with himself nor with others. It is not permissible for him to ask someone to help him with the solution, nor to help others with the solution, because the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) disavowal of the cheater indicates that cheating is among the major sins and is not a characteristic of Muslims.
There is no difference between the subjects in the exam. Just as cheating in the Qur'an and its exegesis, hadith and its commentaries, fiqh and its principles, grammar and its branches is forbidden, so too is cheating in the English subject, sciences, and others, because all are equal in terms of facing the government regarding ranks and positions after graduation.
The government, may Allah guide it, has designated specific subjects for this student. If he succeeds in them, he becomes qualified for what this certificate entails. If he succeeds in them through cheating, he has not actually succeeded in them, so he does not deserve the rank or the salary that was established for this certificate.
Cheating in exams, in addition to being bad behavior, involves deceiving the officials in the school, institute, or university. It involves cheating the state, cheating the entire society, and injustice to oneself. It also necessitates that the state remains in need of foreign teachers who are not from this state, because those who succeed through cheating flee from teaching as they would from a lion, for they do not have the knowledge to face students, explain to them, and accept their questions. You will find one of them fleeing from teaching to other jobs because he is not actually qualified for teaching. Consequently, teaching positions remain vacant, and we need someone to fill this vacancy.
In summary, the answer is that it is not permissible for a student to cheat in any subject, whether in English or in any other subject that was entrusted to him and for which the certificate he is awarded is contingent upon understanding. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
Whoever cheats us is not one of us.
من غشنا فليس مناThe Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. Cheating is forbidden, indeed it is among the major sins, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
Whoever cheats, he is not one of us.
من غش فليس مناThere is no difference between the subjects in the exam. Just as cheating in the Qur'an and its exegesis, hadith and its commentaries, fiqh and its principles, grammar and its branches is forbidden, so too is cheating in the English subject, sciences, and others, because all are equal in terms of facing the government regarding ranks and positions after graduation.
The government, may Allah guide it, has designated specific subjects for this student. If he succeeds in them, he becomes qualified for what this certificate entails. If he succeeds in them through cheating, he has not actually succeeded in them, so he does not deserve the rank or the salary that was established for this certificate.
Cheating in exams, in addition to being bad behavior, involves deceiving the officials in the school, institute, or university. It involves cheating the state, cheating the entire society, and injustice to oneself. It also necessitates that the state remains in need of foreign teachers who are not from this state, because those who succeed through cheating flee from teaching as they would from a lion, for they do not have the knowledge to face students, explain to them, and accept their questions. You will find one of them fleeing from teaching to other jobs because he is not actually qualified for teaching. Consequently, teaching positions remain vacant, and we need someone to fill this vacancy.
In summary, the answer is that it is not permissible for a student to cheat in any subject, whether in English or in any other subject that was entrusted to him and for which the certificate he is awarded is contingent upon understanding. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.